Other Interests

#FlanFridays: Hazelnut Nutella & Coconut Glaze {Lamington-Inspired}

03|01|13 | 2
years ago

I’m going to Australia. Did you hear?!? This Tuesday. For 3 weeks. Eating. Sipping. Horseback riding. Scuba diving. Opera House. Koalas. Kangaroos. And more food. I’ll be exploring and jaunting Aussieland with a mind wide open to absorb everything they have for us Americans. And I can not wait. Counting down the days. I’ve never been to the other side of the world and have one lone Australian friend whom I’ve known about 13 years but moved back 8 years ago. So, I’ve lost my connection to Australia for the most part. It behooved me to turn on my best traveler mode, I started doing some research on what I could expect to see and eat. Their food has never been a subject of excitement or highlighted as being en trend, but I was certain they have some national staples. Lamington was one of them. Actually, it was the first thing I came across in my late night browsing.

Espresso in hand, I read up on this sponge cake laced with thin chocolate icing and covered with desiccated coconut (think ultra dried flakes…no moisture) and was intrigued. I saw a plethora of variations but mostly all of them have the same base recipe. And they seem to be ubiquitous meaning I’m sure to get my little hands on at least one at any given bar or café.

I know you’re like what does this have to do with flan…well…. I woke up this morning, panicking about everything I still have to do (like shoe shopping, mani/pedi, get these insanely mean looking roots done, some cooking for a client, etc…) and quickly thought of this Lamington cake. Not sure why. My brain has a funny way of processing things. Perhaps a sweet thought helped quell the restless back and forth between my phone and calendar, trying to figure out where to start first. Plus, I had no intentions of posting today but when the Nutella and coconut just happened to be staring at me, it all clicked!

A flan inspired by the Aussie’s beloved cake. And to boot, with chocolate and coconut. I mean a Friday morning can not get more delicious in such an instant.

But I went a step beyond and put my little spin on it. I recently received some Baileys hazelnut liqueur (if you didn’t know, there was a time I self-diagnosed with addiction to mint Bailey’s –I poured a generous shot into my espresso every morning during a certain winter) and it is muy, muy bueno! So marrying Nutellla with hazelnut liqueur required no license other than a willful palate and a blank flan.

It took all of ten minutes to figure out how this was going to work. Melt some nutella, add dry coco flakes, stir, thin down with a tad bit of warm water and add in the Baileys liqueur. I simmered it for 7 or so minutes and what resulted was a luscious, creamy, silky and just really pretty glass of chocolate goodness.

This sexy mixture was my version of the cake’s coat. Only mine was going to be the base.

I used the glaze in two ways to play with dimension and transfer of flavor. Adding the sweet goodness underneath the flan gives you a whimsical experience of tasting decadence after the creamy custard; whereas a dollop on top is more standard and your palate already knows what to expect.

I preferred the former but both truthfully do the experiment much justice.

Not exactly a spin-off of Lamekin but a sure nice way to get used to the idea of delectables I’ll be enjoying in Melbourne and Sydney!

If you’ve been to Australia or a reader from there, please, please share and tell me what I MUST try! I’m sure I’ll be missing my Cuban espresso every morning (working on that) so I’ll need something irresistible to get my days going!

So with that, happy #FlanFridays and see you from Australia…yes, it’s vacay, but I’ll be popping in here and there. Follow the action on Instagram, Twtitter and my Facebook Page. Hope to see you there!

Add sugar to an 8" non-stick skillet and caramelize on medium-high heat until it is golden color, stirring constantly. Make sure not to burn sugar. When sugar is fully melted down, carefully coat each ramekin, covering all sides, using circular motion (I suggest using a brush if you are not experienced in handling extremely hot caramel). Move fast if using a brush. Set ramekins aside. In small bowl, combine graham cracker with flour. Add 1-2 tsp. of graham cracker to each ramekin. Pour egg mixture into each ramekin, filling it to the top of caramel. Cover each ramekin with aluminum foil.

Add 2 cups of water to a 4 or 6 qt. pressure cooker. Gently place up to 3 ramekin in cooker and close lid. Place jiggler on lid. If your pressure cooker jiggler has different PSI settings, set it to 10. Cook on high for 6 minutes, or until pressure cooker starts hissing. Turn off heat and allow all of the pressure to release itself, or for another 2-3 minutes.

Remove from pressure cooker after all pressure is released. Repeat until all ramekins are filled. Refrigerate for 8-9 hours or overnight for best taste. Remove from refrigeration 30-45 minutes before serving to loosen some. To serve, using a butter knife, loosen the sides of the flan all the way around. Spread two tablespoons worth of the chocolate glaze on a small dessert plate. Using a different small serving plate, place upside down on top of flan and flip. Using a small, flat rubber spatula, transfer flan with caramel onto plate with chocolate. Garnish each individual flan with a pinch of coconut flakes.

Yields 8 ramekins.

Subscribe to the Flanboyant Eats Insider Newsletter to receive monthly updates on news, happenings, unpublished recipes, exclusive give-aways and more throughout 2013!

Mi nombre is Bren but they call me B! I cook for cool people in my baddest pumps and leave them wanting more. I believe pressure cooking is the best thing that could have been invented & thank Mami for teaching me how to use it. My approach is to offer sexy yet accessible food. God forbid I start my day without 4 shots of Cuban espresso!

InstagramMint

Mint/Yerba Buena

Used in the Latin kitchen mostly for its medicinal properties, mint has many uses in global cuisines. In our house, we’ve always used it as a boiled “tea”for an upset stomach and indigestion. Of course, our most popular culinary use of mint is for the ubiquitous Cuban mojito! Other than that, it’s great or garnishing desserts and other cocktails. There are 18 knowns varieties of mint, according to Wiki. I know of 6. How about you?

Honey is a great natural source for reducing heat in 1st degree burns. Apply immediately.

Eggplant is related to the tabacco plant and it contains an insignificant amount of nicotine. Cooling eggplant causes it to shrivel and brown rather quickly.

Black garlic originated in Korea. It’s raw garlic that turns black when the sugars are drawn out of the garlic cloves during a special fermentation process. Most of the nutritional values in black garlic are higher & more potent than regular raw garlic.

A great way to preserve fresh ginger root is to cut it into smaller pieces and freeze. Keeping it in fridge or at room temperature will cause it to shrivel and dry faster.

The proteins in eggs are very heat sensitive and only need to be warmed to cook thoroughly. They will start to get firm at only 145 degrees. This is when a Bain Marie comes into play and is a great method for cooking egg custards.

Aging time of cheddar cheese determins the mildness and sharpness of it. The longer it ages, the sharper it gets!

Fat has 9 calories per gram. Carbs have 4, protein also has 4 and alcohol has 7. Did you know that?

Most of the fat we should consume should come from fish, nuts & veggie oils. Limit solid fats like butter, stick margarine & lard. Daily allowances for oils range from 5-7 teaspoons for adults.

Mousse is a French term meaning “froth” or “foam,” which is a rich, airy dish that can be sweet or savory, hot or cold. Fluffy desserts are due to the addition of whipped cream or beaten egg whites and fortified with gelatin!

Cherry liqueur is a a sweetened cordial using cherries. It can be used in cocktails in lieu of Brandy, especially Sangria! 1 oz of this cordial has 103 calories and 11 grams of carbs!

Did you know rose hips are the reddish-orange fruit of the rose and are used to make jellies, jams syrup, tea and vino!? They’re solid in vitamin C and can be made into a dried powder.

Convertirse (Cohn-ver-teer-seh)

Convert; to become

(verb)

Many basic Spanish words are reflexive, even though there is no obvious way in which the action ‘reflects back’ on the performer. In an earlier Spanish Word of the Day we had ponerse, meaning to become. Convertirse is another word with a similar meaning. Convertirse is generally used with a noun

Bolsa (Bowl-Sah)

Bag

(noun)

La bolsa means bag, and applies to many of the same objects as the English word.

The bag you carry your shopping in is la bolsa de la compra, and when you want to get rid of trash or garbage, you put it in la bolsa de la basura, meaning garbage bag, rubbish bag, or bin liner.

Supuesto (sue-pue-stoh)

Suppose

(adj.)

supposed, alleged

Supuesto comes from the verb suponer, to suppose. Its basic meaning is supposed or alleged:

a causa de supuestas irregularidades en el bancoon account of alleged irregularities in the bank

Trufa (tru-fa)

Truffle

(noun)

The world’s most expensive fungus, usually grown in France and hunted by pigs and recently by dogs. Used in fine cuisine all around the world.

Afición (ah-fix-see-on)

(noun)

hobby; fans, supporters

Afición is a key word, since it refers to what we like doing in our spare time, or hobbies.

Mi afición es la filatelia

Translation: My hobby is stamp collecting.

Motivo (moh-tee-voe)

(noun)

reason; motive

Motivo is one of the many Spanish words which have one meaning like their English equivalent and another which is different. It’s a very common word for the reason for something.

Dejó el puesto por motivos personales.

She left her job for personal reasons.

Cebiche (Se-bee-chay)

(noun)

raw fish marinated in lemon juice

Though cebiche now appears on the menu of upscale US and British restaurants, it is not yet as well established in English as other Spanish food words, such as tapas, and needs some explanation. The national dish of Peru, and one of which Peruvians are very proud, cebiche (also spelled ceviche) is a kind of fish or seafood salad.

Sombrero (som-bre-rro)

(noun)

hat

This Spanish word is something of a ‘false friend’. When most English speakers think of a sombrero in English they see a hat with a wide brim which is worn mainly in Mexico and Latin America. But un sombrero in Spanish is simply a common-or-garden hat. Literally it is a hat for giving shade, or sombrain Spanish. The word sombrero was borrowed by English in the 18th century.

Nocturno (nok-tour-no)

(adj.)

night; evening

Some English & Spanish words share the same Latin roots bur are used differently. While nocturnal in English is literary or technical, Spanish nocturno is the standard word referring to that happen at night.

Desarrollar (de-sa-rro-yar)

(verb)

to develop; to take place

In an earlier Spanish Word of the Day we came across desarrollar meaning to develop.